Love's First Flames (Banished Saga, 0.5) Read Online Free PDF

Gabriel’s ear, “Why doesn’t she talk to us? We’re right here.”
    Gabriel whispered, “It’s better not to be her only focus.” He raised and lowered his eyebrows as he had seen Mrs. Thynne do, feeling sophisticated until his aunt smacked him on his head.
    “Insolent, whispering when you ought to be listening to me. Your room should be ready by now. I expect you to go to it and not to leave it until you are instructed to either by me or Mrs. Thynne.”
    “Yes, Aunt,” Gabriel and Richard said as the three orphaned boys trudged down the hallway alone, Jeremy in front.
    They pushed open their door, a loud creaking sound rending the air. The excess furniture had been removed along with the years’ worth of dust and debris. Three cots were lined up in front of them with barely any room for them to walk along the base of them. A small table and chair were crammed at the foot of the farthest cot, with the desk and chair parallel to the cot, the desk protruding into the small walking space. Faded green wool blankets covered each bed, and a lumpy pillow rested at the head of each cot. No pictures or photos adorned the room. A small half window let in daylight.
    “Well, this is home now,” Gabriel said. He pointed to the cot against the farthest wall with the desk at its foot. “Jer, I want you to sleep there. Rich, you can be in the middle. I’ll be here, closest to the door.”
    Richard and Jeremy nodded and clambered onto their cots. They squeaked with the boys’ movement, but as the McLeods settled, so did the sound. “Gabe, what are we going to do all afternoon?” Richard asked.
    “I don’t know. For now I’d rest. I suspect we won’t have much of that with our aunt.” He rolled onto his side, away from his brothers and closed his eyes as tears leaked out. He heard his brothers’ breathing rhythms change as they fell into sleep, and Gabriel hugged his arms around himself as he fought sobs. He thrust away images of his dead parents, instead remembering them alive and vibrant in their cramped living area. He thought of his father entering their home, his booming voice and arms open for hugs as he listened with eager attentiveness to their stories about the day. Of his mother and her cooking mishaps. He longed to smell the pot of cloves and cinnamon concealing the scalded scent from her latest cooking disaster. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

CHAPTER THREE
    GABRIEL AWOKE WITH A START, completely disoriented. He looked around the cramped room at the barren walls. His panicked gaze took in his brothers lying side by side on tiny cots next to him. Another loud rap at the door, the noise that Gabriel belatedly realized had awakened him, sounded a moment before the door opened. He scrubbed at his face, rubbing away any tear tracks that remained.
    “Your clothes have arrived, young masters,” Mrs. Thynne intoned as she took a step into the room, unable to enter any farther due to the small size of the room and her protruding stomach. “I’ve a pile for each of you, and I expect you to try them on before supper. Which won’t be for another few hours. I’m glad you were sensible and slept.” She dropped a brown-paper-wrapped package tied loosely shut with string on each cot and left, shutting the door with a loud creak.
    Gabriel looked over at Jeremy and Richard who lay on their cots with their arms behind their necks in identical positions. “If we have a few hours, what’s the point of rushing into trying them on?” Richard asked.
    “I wouldn’t trust Aunt not to invade our space soon to determine how her money has been spent,” Gabriel said as he scooted toward the end of his cot, while the top teetered up. He quickly rose to prevent the cot from tipping upward and him ending on the ground. He shared a grin with his brothers as Jeremy giggled.
    “Do that again, Gabe,” Jeremy said.
    “I imagine I’ll do that every time I try to get out of that darned